Digital Photo Academy Unveils Student Winners of Year-Long Digital Photo Contest

Panasonic's Digital Photo Academy to Showcase Winners in National Gallery Tour

The Digital Photo Academy (DPA) by Panasonic LUMIX has hosted a digital photo contest during the past 12 months for its students and Academy alumni. After awarding a winner each month, Panasonic is pleased to announce that Jean Hayes from Tacoma, Wash., is the grand prize winner for her eye-catching close-up photo of a dandelion. Beginning in February 2009, the winning photo by Hayes, as well as the photos of the 11 other finalists, will be showcased during the Digital Photo Academy Travelling Gallery, which makes stops in 11 cities nationwide.

"One of the most important things that I took away from my experience at the Digital Photo Academy was to be more courageous and experimental with my camera," said Hayes. "I was so excited to be chosen as one of the monthly winners, but to be named as the grand winner is just over the top! I've gained so much self-confidence about my photography and I'm thankful to DPA for their contribution to that."

Beginning in August 2007, DPA launched a monthly contest that featured different categories, such as flowers, holidays or pets, calling students to submit digital photos online that fit the theme. The contest encouraged fun competition among students and produced beautiful digital photographs from the 20 cities nationwide where DPA courses are currently offered. The Digital Photo Academy's 55 instructors selected the finalists each month and ultimately voted on the grand prize winner.

"We wanted to encourage Digital Photo Academy students to apply what they learned from the course to their photography outside of the classroom and the contest gave them a venue where they could proudly share their digital photos," said David Brianti, National Marketing Manager, Imaging, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company. "We are pleased to give our well-deserving students a unique opportunity to showcase their winning photographs in eleven art galleries across the country."

To view all the winning digital photographs, see the complete schedule for the traveling gallery or to learn more about the Digital Photo Academy, please visit www.digitalphotoacademy.com.

About Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company

Based in Secaucus, N.J., Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation. (NYSE: PC) and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is honored to support OUR PLACE - The World's Heritage, a project that will create the world's largest photographic collection of UNESCO World Heritage sites, with acclaimed photographers exclusively using LUMIX digital cameras to capture all images. Information about Panasonic LUMIX digital still cameras and its affiliated programs is available at www.panasonic.com/lumix.